Panel release mechanism



Feb. 14, 1956 R. o. JESSEE ET AL PANEL RELEASE MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed May 29, 1952 INVENTORS Ralph D.Jessee gsd Orvel G.KilliWITNESSES:

ATTOR EY R. D. JESSEE ET AL 2,735,077

PANEL RELEASE MECHANISM med W A Feb. 14. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 {0o 00: oin o GIOO l l I I I I l l I I I r51 I L:

l I I I l l r-I F I I 0 O I l W I, {DID :OQOI Z5 I I 00} I INVENTORSRalph D. Jessee I and Orvel G.Killion.

L my

ATTOR EY PANEL RELEASE MECHANISM Ralph D. Jessee, Lima, and Orvel G.Killian, Wapakoneta, Ohio, assignors to Westinghouse ElectricCorporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of PennsylvaniaApplication May 29, 1952, Serial No. 290,774

8 Claims. (Cl. 339-75) The present invention relates to electricalcontrol panels of the removable or plug-in type, and more particularlyto means for quickly and easily mounting a removable panel on astationary mounting tray and for releasing or ejecting it from the tray.

s In some types of electrical systems, such as those used on aircraft,for example, the voltage regulators, relays, contactors and othercontrol and protective devices of the system are frequently mounted on aremovable control panel which is mounted on a stationary mounting trayand provided with one member of a separable electrical connector whichis plugged into a cooperating connector member or receptacle on the trayto effect connection of the devices carried by the panel into thecircuit. Such an arrangement facilitates installation of the equipmentcarried on the panel since it provides a compact assembly which iseasily installed asa unit, and maintenance is also greatly facilitatedsince the entire panel can be removed to permit easy access to therelays and other devices carried on it for inspection and adjustment orreplacement.

Removable control panels of this type have heretofore been held in placeon their mounting trays by means of screw clamps, or similar devices,and were removed by releasing the clamps andmanually pulling the panelaway from the tray. In many cases, the separable connectors whichconnect the devices on the panel to the external circuit have arelatively largev number of contacts and considerable force, which maybe as much as fifty pounds or more, is requiredto separate the membersof the connector. This large force which must be exerted frequentlymakes it very difficult to remove a conventionally mounted panel,especially where it is installed in a restricted space as is often thecase in aircraft use, and in many instances, it has been necessary topry the connector apart with a screwdriver or similar tool, which isfrequently very awkward and is undesirable because it may damage theconnector.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a mountingtray and removable control panel with means for quickly and easilymounting the panel on the tray and locking it in place and for quicklyand easily releasing the panel from the tray and ejecting it.

Another object of the invention is to, provide a mounting tray andremovable control panel with simple and inexpensive means for releasingthe panel and ejecting it from the tray without any possibility ofdamage to the separable connector.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mounting tray havingmeans for engaging a removable panel to move the panel into mountedposition on the tray and to lock it in place, and also operable torelease the panel and eject it from the tray, and which may be used withremovable panels of any desired type or construction.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, in which:

nited States Patent Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing amounting tray and removable panel, with the panel in released position;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a mounting tray and removablepanel, showing the panel in the mounted or engaged position; and

Fig. 3 is a bottom View of the mounting tray.

The drawing shows the invention applied to a stationary mounting tray 1adapted to receive a removable panel 2. The tray 1 may be made of sheetmetal and has a longitudinal body portion 3 with upwardly extendingsides 4.

between which the panel 2 is received. The tray 1 also has an upwardlyextending end portion and one member 5 of a separable electricalconnector is mounted on the end portion of the tray. The traypreferably'has feet 6 of any suitable typefor mounting the tray on astationary supporting structure. The tray is also provided with twospring clips 7 which extend upwardly from the body portion 3 near theend opposite the connector 5 for engagement with the panel.

The removable panel 2 may be of any desired construction and is shown asbeing molded of insulating mate-, rial, although it might be formed ofsheet metal or made in any other desired manner. The panel has alongitudinal body portion 8 on which may be mounted a voltage regulator,relays or other control or protective devices, which have not been shownin order to avoid unnecessary cornplication of the drawing. The panelhas an upwardly extending end 9 which may have a handle 10 thereon tofacilitate handling the panel, and it has an upwardly extending endportion 11 at the opposite end. A connector member 12, which may be thereceptacle portion of a separable connector, is mounted on the endportion 11 in position to cooperate with the, connector member 5 on thetray 1. The panel 2 has openings 13 adjacent one end corresponding inposition with the spring clips 7 on the tray, and the panel is formedwith downwardly inclined surfaces 14 in these openings to cooperate withthe spring clips 7, as shown in Fig. 2, when the panel is in mountedposition, to hold the front end of the panel to the tray. It will beobvious that the surfaces 14 might be provided by separate spring clipsattached to the lower surface of thepanel, if desired, instead of beingmolded in the panel itself, as shown.

It will be seen that the panel 2 is mounted in place on the mountingtray 1 by moving it longitudinally of the tray to engage the members 5and 12 of the separable connector, and the surfaces 14 and clips 7. Inaccordance with the present invention, means are provided on the trayfor mounting the panel and locking it in place and for quickly andeasily releasing the panel and ejecting it from the tray, thus avoidingthe difficulties described above. For this purpose, a lever 15 ispivotally mounted on the lower surface of the tray 1 at one end thereof.The lever 15 is mounted on a pin 16, or other pivot means, forrotational movement relative to the tray, and one end of the lever 15 isextended beyond the tray and bent as shown in Fig. 3 to form a handle17. A second lever member 18 is pivotally connected at one end to theother end of the lever 15 and is arranged to move longitudinally of thetray when the lever 15 is rotated about its pivot. The free end of thelever 18 is bent upwardly, as indicated at 19, and extends through anelongated slot 20 in the tray 1. A guide 22 is mounted on the tray 1,extending across the slot 22, and the end 19 of the lever 18 engages theguide 22 when the lever is in the position of Fig. 1, so that the lever18 is held in the proper position. The panel 2 is provided with a holeor opening 23 in position for the end 19 of the lever 18 to enter thehole, 23.

The open or released position of the mechanism is shown inFig. l and indotted lines in Fig. 3. In this position, the panel 2 may be placed onthe tray 1 between the sides 4 of the tray, which properly position itlaterally, and the panel is moved manually to the position shown in Fig.l, in which the panel merely rests on the tray and the connectors 5 and12 have not started to engage. To move the panel 2 to its mounted orengaged position, the handle 17 is rotated to the full line position 'ofFig. 3. This rotates the lever and moves the lever 18 longitudinally tothe position shown in full lines. In so moving, the end of the lever 18rides up in the guide 22 so that the upwardly extending end 19 of thelever is raised into the hole 23 in the panel. Longitudinal movement ofthe lever 18, therefore, moves the panel longitudinally of the tray toengage the members 5 and 12 of the connector and force the panel intoits mounted position. The lever system is arranged to provide a largemechanical advantage and relatively little force has to be applied tothe handle 17 to completely engage the connector. As the panel moves toits mounted position, the surfaces 14 engage under the spring clips 7 tohold the front of the panel down to the tray.

After the panel has reached its engaged position,

further movement of the handle 17 to the final closed position shown inFig. 3 causes the lever 18 to buckle or yield slightly until the lever15 goes over center. The longitudinal force or reaction exerted by thelever 18 on the lever 15 is then in a direction to urge the handle 17 tothe closed position so that the panel is locked in position and there isno danger of the mechanism opening and moving the panel accidentally,since a definite force must be applied to the handle 17 to move it backto the open position.

To release the panel and eject it from the tray, the handle 17 is movedback to the open position. This rotates the lever 15 and moves the lever18 longitudinally to draw the panel longitudinally of the tray,separating the members 5 and 12 of the connector and disengaging thesurfaces 14 and spring clips 7. After the connector has separated, thelever 18 rides off the guide 22, which allows the end 19 of the lever todrop out of the hole 23 in the panel 2. An adjustable stop 24 for thelever 15 is provided to prevent moving the lever too far, so that theend of the lever 18 will bear against the guide 22, as

shown in Fig. l, in position to readily ride up on the guide when themechanism is again actuated to closed position. After the end 19 of thelever 18 has dropped out of the panel 2, the parts have returned to theposition shown in Fig. l and the panel is free of the tray. The panelcan then be removed simply by lifting it out of the tray or by pullingit from the tray, the end of the panel adjacent the hole 23 being formedas shown in Fig. 1, so that it will clear the end 19 of the lever topermit the tray to be withdrawn longitudinally, or, if desired, the edgeof the hole might be beveled sufiiciently to allow the panel to rideover the lever without entirely clearing It.

It will be seen that a simple mechanism has been provided which makes itpossible to quickly and easily move a removable control panel to itsmounted position and lock it in place, and to quickly and easily releasethe panel from the mounting tray and eject it therefrom. Thisarrangement has many advantages since it is simple to design andmanufacture, and any type or design of removable plug-in panel can beused in a tray provided with this mechanism. Relatively little force isneeded to operate the device to engage and disengage the panel and thearrangement is such that damage to the connectors is positivelyprevented. It will also be noted that it is impossible to engage theconnector if the mechanism is in the closed position because the end 19of the lever 18 will be projecting upward so that the panel cannot bemoved into position. The mechanism must therefore be in the openposition before the panel can be put in place on the tray and theconnector engaged.

A specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described forthe purpose of illustration, but it will be apparent that various otherembodiments are possible within the scope of the invention, and it is tobe understood that the invention is not limited to the specific detailsof construction shown, but includes all equivalent embodiments andmodifications.

We claim as our invention:

1. In combination, a stationary, elongated, flat mounting tray, aremovable panel adapted to be mounted on said tray, a lever mounted onthe tray for movement longitudinally thereof, one end of said leverextending transverse to the direction of movement of the lever, thepanel having an opening therein to be engaged by said end of the lever,means for moving the lever, and means for effecting transverse movementof said end of the lever to engage it in the opening in the panel whenthe lever is moved longitudinally of the tray in one direction to movethe panel into mounted position, the lever moving the panel intoreleased position and dropping out of said opening when the lever ismoved in the other direction.

2. In combination, a stationary, elongated, flat mounting tray, aremovable panel adapted to be mounted on said tray, securing means forsecuring the panel to the tray, a lever mounted on the tray for movementlongitudinally thereof, one end of said lever extending transverse tothe direction of movement of the lever, the panel having an openingtherein to be engaged by said end of the lever, means for moving thelever, and means for effecting transverse movement of said end of thelever to engage it in the opening in the panel when the lever is movedlongitudinally of the tray in one direction to move the panel intomounted position, with the securing means engaged, the lever moving thepanel into released position with the securing means disengaged anddropping out of said opening when the lever is moved in the otherdirection.

3. In combination, a stationary, elongated, flat mounting tray, aremovable panel adapted to be mounted on said tray, a separableelectrical connector having two cooperating members, one of said membersbeing mounted on the tray and the other of said members being mounted onthe panel, a lever mounted on the tray for movement longitudinallythereof, one end of said lever extending transverse to the direction ofmovement of the lever, the panel having an opening therein to be engagedby said end of the lever, means for moving the lever, and means foreffecting transverse movement of said end of the lever to engage it inthe opening in the panel when the lever is moved longitudinally of thetray in one direction to move the panel into mounted position, with thetwo members of the separable connector engaged, the lever moving thepanel to disengage the members of the separable connector and droppingout of said opening when the lever is moved in the other direction.

4. In combination, a staionary, elongated, flat mounting tray, aremovable panel adapted to be mounted on said tray, a separableelectrical connector having two cooperating members, one of said membersbeing mounted on the tray and the other of said members being mounted onthe panel, interengaging means on the panel and on the tray for securingthe panel to the tray, a lever mounted on the tray for movementlongitudinally thereof, one end of said lever extending transverse tothe directiOn of movement of the lever, the panel having an openingtherein to be engaged by said end of the lever, means for moving thelever, and means for etfecting transverse movement of said end of thelever to engage it in the opening in the panel when the lever is movedlongitudinally of the tray in one direction to move the panel intomounted position, with the members of the separable connector and saidinterengaging means engaged, the lever moving the panel to disengage themembers of the separable connector and the interengaging means anddropping out of said opening when the lever is moved in the otherdirection.

5. A flat, elongated mounting tray adapted to receive a removable panelmember on one side thereof, said mounting tray having a first levermember movably mounted thereon on the opposite side, a second levermember rotatably mounted on the tray and connected to the first lever tomove the first lever longitudinally of the tray when the second lever isrotated, the first lever having a portion extending through an openingin the tray and adapted to engage a panel and move it relative to thetray, and means on the tray for engaging a panel and holding it againstthe tray.

6. A flat, elongated mounting tray adapted to receive a removable panelmember, said mounting tray having a first lever member movably mountedthereon, a second lever member rotatably mounted on the tray andconnected to the first lever to move the first lever longitudinally ofthe tray when the second lever is rotated, the first lever having an endportion extending transverse to the direction of movement of the firstlever, said end portion being adapted to engage a panel and move itrelative to the tray, means on the tray for efiecting transversemovement of the first lever to move it to panelengaging position when itis moved in one direction, and means on the tray for engaging a paneland holding it against the tray. 7

7. In combination, an elongated, flat mounting tray, a removable panelmember adapted to be mounted on said tray, a separable electricalconnector having a member mounted on one end of the tray and acooperating member mounted on the corresponding end of the panel, alever mounted on the tray for movement longitudinally thereof, saidlever having means for engaging the panel, means on the tray adjacentthe end thereof remote from said connector for actuating the lever tomove the panel to mounted position with the members of the separableconnector engaged and to move the panel to released position with themembers of the separable connector disengaged, and interengaging meanson the tray and the panel remote from the separable connector forsecuring the panel to the tray when the panel is in mounted position.

8. In combination, an elongated, flat mounting tray, a removable panelmember adapted to be mounted on said tray, a separable electricalconnector having a member mounted on one end of the tray and acooperating member mounted on the corresponding end of the panel, alever mounted on the tray for movement longitudinally thereof, saidlever having means for engaging the panel, means on the tray adjacentthe end thereof remote from said connector for actuating the lever tomove the panel to mounted position with the members of the separableconnector engaged and to move the panel to released position with themembersof the separable connector disengaged, the panel having aninclined surface thereon adjacent the end of the panelremote from theconnector, and the tray having means providing a cooperating inclinedsurface, said surfaces being positioned to engage each other to securethe panel to the tray when the panel is moved to mounted position and tobe disengaged when the panel is moved to released position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,213,287 Smith Jan. 23, 1917 2,487,801 Healy, Jr. Nov. 15, 19492,510,944 Auerbach June 13, 1950 2,514,246 Knox July 4, 1950 2,609,268Nye Sept. 2, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 658,628 Great Britain Oct. 10, 1951

